Fall has begun and Youth Ministry is bursting with different events for faith, fellowship and fun. Whether you are interested in volunteering, going to a festival, expanding your faith, or just hanging with friends; we have something for you this October!

Christ House Volunteering: October 1 and more

Our Youth Group has committed to feeding the hungry at Christ House (50 West Street in Old Town off of Duke Street) the first Thursday of each month. Our first event is tomorrow, October 1, and we still need 3 – 4 volunteers.

What can you expect?Every first Thursday of the month, our Youth Group goes to Christ House (a homeless shelter for men) and prepares and serves the evening meal for the residents as well as those who are hungry in the community. Volunteers will meet at GS at 3:30, load up the food, ride together into Old Town, prepare and serve dinner (our menu is hot dogs, beans, pasta salad, brownies and awesome sweet tea), clean up and return to church by 6:30pm. We usually serve 50 to 60 people, which include men, women, children and sometimes even middle schoolers.​​ We will need 4 or 5 youths and a second adult each time. Volunteering is open to 7th thru 12th grade and best done with a group of friends!

Benefits?Aside from service hours, we usually have almost unlimited hot dogs to feed the volunteers, and occasionally some brownies. Plus you get to spend a few hours with friends serving your community.

Lock-In: October 10/11

Don't miss our first Lock-in of the school year. Join us October 10 at 4:30pm. Bring a snack to share and a sleeping bag. We will attend 5:00 pm Mass together, then have dinner and games through out the night. HS students can stay over and get picked up at 7 am on Sunday, October 11. MS students are welcome for the first few hours to share in Mass, dinner and games. Permissions online.

The cost per student is $25. But, you can save money by bringing a friend! If you bring a friend, your cost drops to $20 and your friend pays only $10. The cost includes games, concert, t-shirt, dinner, ice-cream and more!

Be sure to eat a good breakfast/lunch beforehand. Dinner is provided around 5:00 pm and the concert ends about 8:00 pm. All participants should meet at GS at 10:00 am on October 18 and will return by 10:00 pm.

Permissions are online and deadline is October 11. Visit the RALLY website for more information.

Other Events and Opportunities

Fort Hunt Clean Up – October 3Friends of Fort Hunt Park are sponsoring a Fort Hunt Community Day this Saturday, October 3, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Join fellow Youth Ministry students and GS parishioners for an afternoon of community service to help maintain and enhance Fort Hunt Park. Registration is from 1:00 – 1:30 pm and volunteer projects run from 1:30 – 4:00 pm. Contact Kurt Rausch for more information and let him know if you plan to attend: kurtrausch@cox.net.

Mom’s Group Rummage Sale – October 3Help support the Mother’s Support Group at GS by volunteering at their Fall Rummage Sale. The ministry is looking for volunteers anytime between 8:30 am and 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 3. Contact Jessica Navarro if you are able to help: jnavarro412@gmail.com

Human Trafficking Talk – October 8A great opportunity for HS teens and their parents is a “Talk on Human Trafficking in Fairfax County” at St. Raymond’s Parish Hall in Springfield. Detective Bill Woolf, a fellow Catholic, and lead investigator of the Fairfax County Police Department’s human trafficking unit, will present on human trafficking in our area. He will talk about what it is, statistics, social responsibility, warning signs and prevention, as well as answer any questions. The talk is from 7:00 – 8:00 pm on Thursday, October 8 at St. Raymond’s 8750 Pohick Road Springfield, VA 22153. Event is free, no need to RSVP.